STUDIO ALBUMS

Inscription

The Targum renders it here, as there, "to praise upon the harp that was brought from Gath;" and of the sons of Korah, It was, very probably, written by David; to whom the Targum, on Psalm 84:8, ascribes it; though it does not bear his name, the spirit it breathes, and the language in which it is written, show it to be his. The inscription of it, in the Syriac version, is, "for the sons of Korah, when David meditated to go out of Zion, to worship in the house of God: and it is called a prophecy concerning Christ, and concerning his church," as it undoubtedly is.²
 

Synopsis of Psalm 84

Psalm 84 was composed by David, the Lord's "anointed", at a time when he was exiled from Jerusalem. It is a passionate lyrical expression of devotion and love for the house of Jehovah and His worship. The psalm seems to describe the blessedness of those who dwell in the sacred precincts (vs. 1-4, 9-11); the blessedness of those who make pilgrimages to the sanctuary (vs. 5-8); and the blessedness of those who, deprived of the privilege of actually worshiping in God's house, nevertheless put their trust in God. The pathos of this tender poem is enhanced by the elegiac rhythm in which the Hebrew lines are cast. The sentiments of this exquisite sacred lyric are more than personal: they are the deepest sentiments of every child of God who, deprived of the privilege of communion with fellow Christians, has ever longed for fellowship with his brethren in the corporate worship of God. Psalm 84 may be compared with Psalm 42. It is said that Isabel Alison and Marion Harris, Scottish Covenanters, sang the words of Psalm 84 to the tune "Martyrs" as they went to the scaffold.³